MOVING ON UP...

I guess I'm just a kid of the 70's. LOL Every time I move I get the Jefferson's theme song stuck in my head. I've been busy packing, painting, cleaning etc... around here getting ready for the BIG move. I'll be back to regular blogging at the end of the week.

In the meantime her's a couple of pictures of my favorite fur children.

Mediterranean Chicken Alfredo

Mediterranean Chicken Alfredo
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 oz. jar artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons Classico sun-dried tomato pesto
4 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons sweet butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon oregano
pasta of your choice

• Drain and rinse artichoke hearts, cut into small pieces
• Cut chicken into bite sized pieces
• Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in skillet over medium heat
• Saute' chicken pieces and garlic until cooked through and tender

• While chicken is cooking melt 2 tablespoons of butter in sauce pan
• Whisk in flour until smooth and golden
• Gradually add whipping cream, bring to a SLOW simmer, stirring frequently
• In a mortar and pestle rejuvenate your herbs and add to the sauce pan, whisking in well
• Simmer 8-10 minutes until sauce reaches desired thickness and is smooth
• Add tomato pesto & Mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth

• Drain chicken mixture and add to the sauce mixture.
• Pour over prepared pasta, top with Parmesan cheese and serve hot.

On a side note - this is what a dejected face looks like. She wasn't happy about being relegated outside while I cooked.

A funny thing happened on the way to the Lemon Custard Cup ~ Tuesdays With Dorie

I used to participate in the baking group Tuesday's with Dorie.  I bring this post over from my old blog more for the cute story about my dog and the recipe review than any value in the recipe itself. Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles had chosen the recipe for Lemon Cup Custard on page 387.

We love lemon here so I was pretty excited about this recipe. Instead of making individual custard cups I made it as a full pie and it was going to have a whipped cream top (hubby's request). We both tasted it before it went into the oven and thought there wasn't enough lemon flavor for us and it was just too sweet. We like a really tart lemon. But, we were anxiously waiting to see if the baking would enhance the lemon flavor. Fortunately I took a picture as soon as it came out of the oven. 

I turned my back for 2 seconds while it was cooling and Gunner, our black lab decided the custard shouldn't wait to cool, but be eaten immediately. About the time I heard SPLAT it was too late, the custard was face down on the kitchen floor and shortly thereafter the dog was in the snow, his puppy dog eyes and wistful so sorry looks didn't work on me (he was only in the snow long enough for me to clean up the mess and cool off). 

I did throw together a lemon Bundt cake with a lemon butter cream frosting to replace it. I guess we'll never know if more lemon flavor comes out as it bakes.

CUTE as a DICKENS

Our beloved cat died in my arms this morning.  It's never easy, even when you know it's inevitable, but when a pet dies you lose a a piece of the family.  We will miss her, but are glad she went with very little pain. She lived a very long life for a cat and was always so sweet.

WINTER SNOW TIIME

I posted the Fall color pictures, so I thought I'd post Winter too and then Spring and Summer to depict an entire year here in the North Woods.

A snowboarder catches a gust on Teal Lake while a herd of deer check out the offerings on top of the paint river recently frozen over.

During the summer, Whiskey could stand on her hind legs and snatch a fresh apple from the lower branches of the the obviously endless apple tree (it's February in the U.P. and I still have apples!!!!!!). Now, she just stands there and waits for them to fall or digs with her snout in the 3 feet (that's a 4 foot fence behind her) deep snow for the ones that have recently fallen. Gunner just wants someone to play ball with him.